U of T Gyms: Athletic Centre, Hart House & Bruce Kidd

Choose the Athletic Centre for the broadest indoor mix: pools, courts, a 200-metre indoor track, field house, strength and conditioning, squash and activity rooms. Choose Goldring when strength and conditioning or court space is the priority. Choose Varsity Centre for the outdoor track and the arena. Choose Hart House for its smaller fitness centre, 25-yard pool, indoor track, weight room and drop-in classes, or when you also use Hart House's clubs and food spaces.

The centres share some categories, especially strength training and court activities. The practical difference is the exact room and its availability. Open gym, lane swim, fitness classes, team training, academic use and special events can change which space is available at a given time.

The Athletic Centre is at 55 Harbord Street on the west side of St. George campus, at Spadina Avenue. It's made up of the Warren Stevens and Clara Benson buildings. Inside are seven gymnasiums, three indoor pools, a strength and conditioning centre, the Bruce Kidd Field House, a dance studio, cardio machines, tennis courts, nine squash courts and two table tennis courts.

The pool labels need care. The Varsity Pool is an eight-lane, 50-metre pool with an adjacent teaching pool. The Benson Pool is a separate six-lane, 25-yard pool. The Bruce Kidd Field House on the third floor has the 200-metre track, four multipurpose courts, and strength and cardio equipment.

The building is open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The strength and conditioning centre's fall open-gym hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays from September 7 to December 23, 2026. Lane swim is free for students paying incidental fees; the fall schedule runs September 6 to December 5, 2026, with a separate exam-period schedule after that.

The full official name is the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. It's at 100 Devonshire Place and was completed in 2014. U of T lists the Kimel Family Field House for basketball and volleyball, with retractable bleachers for 2,000, plus a large strength and conditioning centre, a fitness studio, a sport-medicine clinic and research labs.

The strength and conditioning centre spreads across four tiers on the second and third floors. Tiers 1 and 4 have accessible access; that's an accessibility detail, not a rule limiting members to those tiers. Tier 4 is often reserved for authorized group training, and the Speed and Power Centre follows its own schedule. KPE also warns that the field house and some tiers may be unavailable from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays.

The building is open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. From September 7 to December 23, 2026, the strength centre's posted hours are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. Sport & Rec users enter by the southeast door off Devonshire Place and scan a TCard or membership card at the turnstile.

Varsity Centre, on Bloor Street on the north side of campus, includes Varsity Stadium, the Arena and the Pavilion. It has a 400-metre outdoor track, a sports field that goes under an air-supported dome in winter, and a skating arena. It's open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Sport & Rec users enter through the Pavilion off Devonshire Place and check in with staff for registered programs. KPE says Varsity Centre is currently open with limited services, and not every space is available. Check its update before you plan a visit.

Hart House Fitness Centre membership includes a 25-yard pool, indoor track, weight room and drop-in classes. Personal training, Pilates Reformer, registered programs, towels and lockers cost extra.

U of T students enrolled in an academic term and paying Hart House incidental fees have full access. In a term without that fee, such as summer, you'll need a Student Summer Membership. Our Hart House guide covers hours, entry rules and membership prices.

Full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students who paid KPE athletic incidental fees for the current term automatically get membership to the Athletic Centre, Goldring Centre and Varsity Centre. KPE's FAQ says full-time students have access from September to May. In summer, discounted student memberships are for sale.

Hart House applies its own incidental-fee test. Paying KPE fees does not by itself prove Hart House eligibility, and paying Hart House fees does not replace activity-specific booking or registration. Community, alumni, staff and other membership categories exist at both systems; compare their current membership prices on the official pages.

KPE bookings run through its online recreation portal. Squash, badminton, tennis and table tennis courts open for booking exactly 48 hours ahead, with one booking per member per day. Fall registered programs opened on August 27, 2026. Drop-in group fitness classes are first come, first served.

Towel service is no longer included at Sport & Rec facilities. You can buy a towel at a customer service counter for $8. The newest posted student locker price is $73.22 plus HST for the 2025-26 academic year; KPE hadn't posted a 2026-27 price when we checked.

KPE offers free facility orientations with a guided tour. The Athletic Centre, Goldring and Hart House pages publish current building and program information, but scheduled uses can restrict particular rooms. Check the same-day facility page and activity schedule, then allow time to find the entrance and scan in.

If accessibility affects your choice, KPE publishes an accommodation-request route and lists accessible entrances and elevators. Contact the facility about the specific activity and room you plan to use.